working girl.(Claire Danes)

Byline: Andre Leon Talley

What happens when the star of a movie called Shopgirl decides to turn her film role into reality?

On a sultry, humid August day, Claire Danes-who stars this month as Mirabelle Buttersfield, a department-store salesperson, alongside Steve Martin, who wrote the novel the film is based on-met yours truly among the glistening goods at Saks, just in time to help those choosy New York customers cruise all the new fall clothes.

Up close and personal, Claire is a stunner, with skin like chiffon velvet. "I had read Steve Martin's book and loved it long before I became aware of the project," she told me as we grabbed an afternoon snack before pitching into the retail fray. "It was easy to be drawn to this role because I loved the story so much. It is so sensitive, and there is very little sensitivity out there."

Claire was wearing a chocolate wool dress by Miuccia Prada (above) and Manolo Blahnik sandals. We walked into the glove department. "It is a story of Steve's personal relationship with a real woman-who, by the way, was very much on the set during the filming!" she told me. "The story is so true to life. She even had a pickup truck like the one in the film."

For three hours, Claire would stand behind the gleaming counter and actually attempt to sell gloves-opera gloves, leather gloves, suede gloves. "On the set at the Saks in Los Angeles, between takes, I often fantasized about going around the store and buying shoes!" she said as we headed to our stations.

SOFT SELL